Airlines canceling flights because the air is too hot

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

76. I worked at DCA (Washington National Airport) in the 1970's.

At the time the main runway was 5,280 feet, a number that should look familiar to all of you. (An online search claims the main runway was longer, but trust me, back in the 1970's it was 5,280 feet long and has been lengthened since then.)

In the summer we often had to restrict loads because of the heat and reduced lift. In this approximate order we would leave off: air freight, air mail, baggage, passengers.

Sometimes we were told at the ticket counter to let the passengers know that their luggage might not be arriving with them. To say the least, the passengers were never happy to learn that. I don't recall that we ever had to leave passengers off, but back then flights were rarely full, which would have helped us.

And we're talking temps that was in the '90s, not as much hotter as it would be these days.

It will also make a difference just what type of aircraft is involved. I never recall the summer heat being a problem when the planes were a 44 passenger Fairchild, or a 69 passenger BAC-111. But a DC-9? That held 100 people. That was a bigger problem in the heat.